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We do rescue different…

PAWS Humane Society of Rockford, Illinois, a volunteer organization supported by donations, was founded in 1988 as a spay/neuter assistance operation. We have grown into a full service humane society, even reaching into our public school systems to educate future animal owners.

Our mission is to promote, support and provide for the humane treatment and welfare of animals in Winnebago County and the surrounding areas. We work towards a day when there is a home for every pet and domestic animals are no longer euthanized simply because they have no home.

In 2016, we opened the first enclosure-based shelter in the Rockford area called the Sonal Puri Family Animal Rescue, located at 7282 N. Cherryvale Mall Drive. This facility was donated by First Midwest Group Founder and President Sunil Puri as a tribute to his family member Sonal, an animal lover.

This location houses available felines for adoption as they lounge in large enclosures or run around one of the two large community rooms. Our adoptable dogs are in foster homes, joining us on select weekends for adoption events.

We have a satellite feline adoption center inside of Petco on E. State Street. Our Cat Adoption Program started in 2005. We handle hundreds of feline adoptions annually.

PAWS is unique because it takes in animals that have special needs – whether they be medical or social – and work with them to place them in homes where they will get the extra care required.

We are also known to help in emergencies. We recently took in cats and dogs as part of relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey. We were also the lead agency in a large scale hoarding situation of 150 cats in December of 2013.

In 2016, PAWS funded the spay/neuter of over 1,500 dogs and cats. We placed over 400 felines and 75 dogs. Currently, we sponsor 300 classrooms in the RPS 205 school system with “The Kind News” put out by Red Rover. We also recently began a reading to pets program for children called “Paws for a Story”. Please visit the “Programs” page for more details.

PAWS was chosen as one of the top three non-profits in both 2016 and 2017 in the Rock River Valley “What Rocks” contest sponsored by the Rockford Register Star. This is an honor because there are approximately 50 non-profits in the area, and PAWS was selected based on community voting.

We are proud of our No-Kill recommended status.

Content contained herein shall not be used or distributed in any manner without express written permission from PAWS.